i9o6.] Insurance of Farming Stock. i6i 



at the time of the fire to be not more than £400, the clause 

 will not take effect, the sum insured being equal to three- 

 fourths of the full value of the property, and the whole 

 amount of loss up to ;^300 will be paid ; but if the sum insured 

 be £^00 as before, and the value £600, the average condition 

 will come into operation, the sum insured being less than three- 

 fourths of the value of all the property on which such sum is 

 insured, and. the office would therefore only pay one-half the 

 amount of loss, whether that half be £^00 or any smaller sum, 

 the insured being his own insurer for the difference and bearing 

 a rateable share of the loss accordingly. 



In many policies " implements and utensils of husbandry 

 and dead farming stock" are included in one sum with "agri- 

 cultural produce," and the special average clause then applies 

 to the whole amount. 



In the absence of any provision to the contrary in the policy, 

 agricultural produce also includes growing crops, and insurers 

 should be careful to bear this in mind, as in a recent case of 

 the destruction by fire of hay and straw in the stack it was 

 claimed by the company, and decided in their favour, that the 

 insurance included growing crops, and that, consequently, under 

 the operation of the special "average" condition it was neces- 

 sary, in order to obtain payment to the full value insured, that 

 these crops, together with the whole of the other produce, should 

 have been insured to at least three-fourths of their value. 



On the other hand, policies on agricultural produce usually are 

 expressly stated not to include : — 



1. Hops and grain in any oast or kiln, while fire-heat is being 

 used therein, or in any building adjoining any such oast or kiln^ 

 and not separated therefrom by a perfect stone or brick wall ; 

 nor barley under process of malting. 



2. The contents of any building in which hemp or flax is 

 scutched or dressed, or in which screening of grain by power is 

 donC; or in which timber is sawn by machinery, nor the contents 

 of any building adjoining another building, and not separated 

 therefrom by a perfect party-wall of brick or stone, in which 

 any of such processes may be performed. 



3. Tanks and vessels (with the material contained therein) for 

 dipping hop-poles, nor farming property within fifty yards of 



O 



